Not So Alone
by keepcalmandwrite
Summary: AU – Teenage Tony Stark is the son of a billionaire; his father has left him alone in the mansion for a month, so in a fit of mercy he invites five misfits off the streets and into his home…and maybe his heart. Rated T for abuse, tragic flashbacks, violence and swearing. Still filled with feels, humour and cuteness. Steve/Natasha
1. Chapter 1

**Let me know if I should continue. **

**The ages of the teenagers are :**

**Tony – 16 (he buys alcohol through fake ID) **

**Thor – 16 **

**Bruce – 14 **

**Natasha – 14 **

**Clint – 15 **

**Steve - 16**

"Don't do anything stupid boy." Howard Stark commanded as he pulled on his coat and opened the front door, the cold December wind stormed in and caused Tony to shiver. "Remember what I told you, no-one else is allowed in the house, especially girls, do you hear me?"

"Yeah Dad, I know." Tony muttered in response, it was bullshit of course as soon as he was gone Tony was going to call up…what was her name? Sarah? Sally? Or maybe it was Sophie? Well, that blonde from his English class and have some fun. And then maybe tomorrow he would throw a party, yeah with alcohol and loud music that would piss the neighbors off no end but he knew they couldn't do anything about it because he was _Tony Stark_.

"Right well, I'll be back in a month. I better not hear you've been causing any trouble while I'm gone." Howards words were not said affectionately with a ruffle of Tony's hair, oh no, they were shot harshly with little pricks of venom laced in their undercoating. "Oh and Tony," the teenager glanced up from staring at his oil stained hands, "I saw the work you did on that robot…Dummy?" Tony felt his heart involuntarily flip as he wondered whether his father was actually going to _praise _him.

"Yeah and?" Tony asked, not able to control the small slither of hope that sunk into his words, however, his Father (as usual) missed this completely and just said,

"The wiring won't last, it will erode within a year…not that you should want to keep that hunk of metal for more than a week." And with that Howard Stark was gone and Tony was left with the cold outside air swirling around his arms as he stood alone in the quiet house.

The first thing Tony did when his Fathers chauffer driven car disappeared from the driveway was head into the kitchen and pry open the liquor cabinet. He reached for the bottle of aged whiskey and poured himself a single, wondering why he was acting like a middle aged stressed out business man. He pulled himself up onto the counter and looked around the bright room.

It was…_glossy_…that was the best word to describe it, it was extremely polished and perfect (the product of course of hired maids, not from either Tony or Howard) even the lighting seemed to sparkle somewhat as it gleamed off the marble surfaces. There was an island in the middle of the room; around it were four bar stools that each had a side of the table. These seats were rarely used and if they were it was never Tony _and _Howard, it was always for Tony _or _Howard.

The thoughtful teenager gulped down his drink and reveled in the burn that slid down the back of his throat, he put the glass down and fished in the pocket of his designer trousers for his phone. Scrolling through the long list of contacts (most of whom Tony didn't actually like or talk to) he found his best friends name and dialed the number.

"Hey Tony man! What's up?" The voice on the other side of the phone sounded vaguely surprised at the call as he spoke in a hurry,

"Hi Rhodey, I know man, I've been busy. Look my Dad just left so I was thinking about having a party. You up for it?" The billionaire's son replied easily, Rhodey truly was Tony's best friend, he had been since they were young, always putting up with the shit Tony dragged him through and never leaving him for it.

"…Tony are you sure? I mean how long has your Dad been gone, a day?"

"Yeah but you can't party when you're dead, besides it's not like the neighbors will say anything." At this point Tony looked out the window that faced one pair of his neighbors, a rich elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Glenford. They were the only two that would cause him any problems on his street, they were nosy buggers and liked to make life harder for Tony.

"Well, ok man, I'll call up some people. When though, tonight or tomorrow?" Tony thought about this for a minute, he wanted to have the party as soon as possible because it felt more like he was rubbing it in his Dad's face if he had it tonight…but he really wanted the night alone…

"Tonight!" Revenge won.

"Fine, you get the drinks and I'll call the people." Rhodey sighed as he thought about the stress that was clearly coming his way, but he knew that his friend was just upset and doing this for attention, so he went for it, for Tony's sake.

"Ok, oh and before I forget…don't tell Pepper. I don't want her to start shouting at me." Tony muttered slightly under his breath, it was embarrassing but true, Pepper truly was one of the few people that Tony was scared of.

"Umm, alright man, I'll see you tonight." And with that the phone call ended and there was silence surrounding Tony. Again.

The billionaires son decided to walk to the shops and get a taxi back if he needed it. This way it would take longer and he could avoid being in that empty house for a longer period of time. Of course, if anybody had of asked he would have told them that he didn't want to risk the driver telling his father that they were going to a liquor store. Bullshit.

It wasn't until Tony was carrying bags full of alcohol out of the shop did he see him. A young boy, well probably around Tony's age maybe a year or two younger, huddled between two walls that connected an office with a shop. Tony still does not know what made him walk over there, it may have been avoiding going home, it may have been that his arms were tired so he wanted to rest them or it may have been out of sheer loneliness but regardless, he walked over.

The younger boy had large brown eyes, he was sitting in a way that was trying to cover himself, his arms wrapped around his knees, as if trying to protect his vital organs. Tony wasn't sure how to begin so he sat down a bit further down the wall and muttered,

"My name's Tony Stark, who are you?" The young boy raised his head, his frightened features made him resemble a deer caught in head lights.

"Err…I, I'm umm…" Tony raised an eyebrow at the failed stuttered answer but didn't ask again.

"I'll give you fifty dollars to help me carry these bags home." The boy looked at Tony, clearly not recognizing him from any of the magazines his picture had been plastered on over the years.

"Sure…ok I…I guess. My, umm, my name's Bruce."

**Continue? **


	2. Chapter 2

_**Ok, a lot of action happens in this chapter and it isn't very well written. It's because I need to introduce the characters quickly to get to the cute hurt/comfort parts. **_

_**- Note Tony's change of heart, he seems like a heartless twat at first but I can't resist the idea of him looking after Bruce and Natasha as younger siblings. **_

There was mostly silence as the two teenagers walked home, Tony watched as Bruce struggled to carry the bags and simultaneously match the pace they were moving at, but to be honest he didn't really care. Well, yes he did feel that sharp pang of guilt but he found it very easy to ignore it and just swallow the emotions that were trying to bubble up his throat and come spilling out of his mouth.

"So why are you on the streets?" Tony asked, pulling out a pair of ray-ban sunglasses from his pocket, he inwardly grinned at how hot he knew he looked wearing them. He glanced over at Bruce again and watched as the 14 year old nibbled his lip nervously and tried to avoid Tony's questioning glare.

"I…I'd err rather not say." Bruce mumbled, Tony opened his mouth to respond but after a moments thought he decided not to, perhaps it was because he noticed the tears pooling in Bruce's eyes or perhaps he just didn't care enough to ask again.

"We should hurry up." Tony said sharply as he glanced up at the sky, the bright sun had now disappeared and dark clouds were gathering. "Oh, and I'll pay you an extra $50 if you stay tonight and help me clean up after the party." Bruce began biting his lip anxiously again and timidly asked,

"Will, I umm, will I have to meet people?" Tony scoffed in response and shook his head.

"No, you can just wait in one of the blocked off rooms if you want. You'll be younger than most the people there and if you do run into anybody…just say that you're my father's friends son." He wondered briefly whether his classmates would care, would they pretend to like Bruce just to get on his good side? Or would they just tease him...yeah, they'd probably do that, after all the boy was very nerdy looking.

"Ok then…erm thank you." Bruce muttered, before desperately wrestling with the bags he was carrying so he didn't drop one, sighing heavily Tony snatched one of the bags from the younger boys arms.

"Why do you speak like that?" Tony wondered aloud.

"Like…like what?"

"Repeating your words and always using 'erm' or 'umm'?"

"I…well, I…umm, I was taught to think before I speak and now it's just a…a nervous habit." Tony watched as Bruce's eyes darkened, clearly this was a touchy subject and he was trespassing on dangerous lands, not that he cared.

"Who taught you that?" Tony asked,

"My…my…erm, my Dad." Bruce whispered the last word so quietly Tony barely heard him, but he did watch as Bruce's eyes flitted down to his arm and that's when Tony noticed the bruises, wisely he didn't say anything but he felt a huge flare of sympathy mixed with the odd emotion of protection when he looked at the younger boy.

"Right, well where's your dad now?" He asked, his voice portraying none of the emotions he felt inside.

"He lives down in Shield County, I'm…I'm erm meant to live with him…but I…I…ran away and I will…never go…never go back." Tony realized Bruce's speech was getting worse as they continued to talk about his father. It didn't take a particularly clever individual to realize Bruce had been abused, but Tony being a genius so he noticed it straight away. The two boys lapsed in silence again, it wasn't uncomfortable because they were both so wrapped up in their own thoughts they didn't really remember the other was there.

"Look we're here now, the party's going to start in like half an hour so let me show you around quickly." Tony said as his large mansion came into view, he shuddered at the sight of it, all those empty rooms and too much space, he didn't notice Bruce watching his reaction with wide eyes.

**LINE BREAK LINE BREAK **

After showing Bruce the mansion that Tony personally loathed, he played with the idea of showing the boy the labs down stairs but he decided against it, he knew they wouldn't really interest Bruce and they were very private, the only part of the house Tony actually liked.

Just as Tony was explaining how to work the massive flat-screen TV to Bruce the doorbell rang and the younger boy practically flew up the stairs in hurry to avoid contact with people. Immediately Tony missed his presence and looked towards the large front door in distaste, he really regretted his decision now.

Within minutes of gesturing people inside the mansion was completely buzzing, everybody had drinks in their hands and were dancing to the loud, offensive music. Tony tried to desperately push the thoughts that attacked his mind of the younger boy hiding upstairs but they just wouldn't leave his head and only two hours into the party he found himself going up to check on Bruce.

It was a good job he did.

When Tony pushed open the door he swore violently, Bruce was on the floor his nose bleeding and hands shaking, he had his eyes squeezed shut and he was curling up into the fetal position again. Over him stood Reece Jackson, a notorious troublemaker in school, the older boy was chuckling at Bruce's whimpers.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing to him?" Tony shouted as he stepped towards the bastard,

"Chill dude, I was just protecting your house, he clearly snuck in here, the room's off limits." Reece grinned and the look told Tony that even if he hadn't of thought this Bruce would have gotten hit anyway. With that thought something overpowered Tony, he was furious. His own hands started to shake as he looked at his brother…no, Bruce, as he looked at Bruce lying on the floor, science books surrounding him (Tony made a mental note to show him the labs).

"Get the fuck out of my house you piece of shit! Don't think for one f-ing second that you can just walk in here and hurt a kid two fucking years younger than you. Get the hell out asshole!" Tony would have happily hit Reece, but he wasn't stupid and he knew that in the long run it wouldn't benefit him.

After Reece was gone Tony ran a hand down his face and kneeled down beside Bruce,

"Hey, are you ok? Let me look at that." With gentle hands he pulled Bruce into a sitting position and looked at his bloody nose. "I don't think it's broken buddy." Bruce sniffled and looked wide eyed up at Tony,

"I'm…I'm ok, I'm erm, I'm used to…to it." Tony's eyes softened and he ruffled the boys hair, he froze mid movement and realized what had happened. His mask had come off, he was being the real Tony with a stranger.

"Right well, I think it's time this party finished, stay here I'll get everybody out." With that said and his head still reeling Tony went towards the door and took a deep breath. "Right party's over get out my house!" The music was stopped and after several more minutes of Tony shouting people began to file out.

Just as the billionaire's son was about to walk back to Bruce he heard shouting and a loud crash come from out the house. Bruce reacted the same way as him and they both charged down the stairs and outside to the source of the noise.

"Get the fuck away from me your bastards!" They saw her straight away, her deep wavy red hair shimmered under the moonlight and it blew gracefully around her face in the soft wind. "I swear to god, if you come near me I will kill you." She would have been intimidating if she wasn't smaller than everyone there, even Bruce. But she was beautiful; her eyes glittered (if Tony didn't know better he would say that she had tears in her eyes, but she was brandishing a knife and didn't seem upset). She took two nervous steps back, there were about five guys surrounding her, all from Tony's school and his age, 16.

"Hey! Back off you twats!" Tony yelled jogging towards them, to his surprise Bruce followed quickly, he ignored the need to shout at him to get back. Tony watched the girl as fear filled her eyes at the thought of another guy threatening her, Tony noticed. "I'm not trying to hurt you." He said, trying to sound caring as he locked eyes with the girl. She nodded and tried to move away as the guys focused on Tony but one of them grabbed her waist and pulled her close to him, knocking the knife to the ground and resting his hand suspiciously low on her body.

Tony expected her to scream but instead she just swung her leg around and untangled herself, she didn't waste anytime before pushing her fist straight under his chin and then proceeded to kick him hard in the groin. He fell down moaning. However, there were two many opponents advancing on her now and she began to back away again, Tony and Bruce both sprinted closer trying to help her but they knew they weren't going to make it in time.

Just as one of the guys wrapped his arm around her neck and whispered something in her ear, yelling was heard down the darkened street. Then before anyone could act two of the guys fell to the ground, unconscious, as a new large guy stood over them brandishing a metal dustbin lid. He looked towards the girl and his eyes turned cold, with two steps he was heading towards the guy holding her and he was now backing away nervously.

"You think you can just attack a younger girl?" The larger guy asked, his voice was deep and the girl was now staring at him in disbelief, Tony had to remember to shut his mouth from shock and Bruce began smiling. "People like you don't deserve to even look at people like her, get the hell away now and take your friends with you. If you ever threaten her again, anyone again, I will personally come back and make you regret it!" His words echoed around the empty street and the two guys (the only two who had remained standing) pulled their injured friends to their feet and began to run away, glancing back over their shoulders as they went.

"Thanks…" The girl muttered as she took an anxious step back from the large guy who had protected her.

"Steve, my name's Steve." He replied a soft smile breaking out on his face, Tony watched as she nodded tightly,

"Right, well I'm Natasha, so umm, thanks for that Steve." She gave him a small smile but she was clearly still on edge.

"I won't hurt you, I promise I'm not like them." He smiled again and she nodded again, everyone was quite for a moment.

"Look, you just had a shock do you want to come inside?" Tony asked, looking at the girl, she was clearly shaken and Tony wanted to look after her, she couldn't have been older than fourteen but damn she was hot.

"No, I'm fine, honestly." She said again trying to reassure him but he was not stupid.

"Right and I'm batman, seriously come inside…" Tony paused for a minute and eyes the big guy who was shuffling his feet awkwardly, "You too." He sighed under his breath and began walking back inside, Bruce trotting at his heel, as they reached the door they looked back.

Steve was saying something quietly to Natasha who was not meeting his eye contact, after a couple of seconds she looked up at him and nodded ever so lightly. She was clearly unsure but when he held out a hand to her, she placed her own smaller one on top of his and Steve led her towards the house, both looking a little lost.

_**Please review because I'm really not sure about this at all. **_

_**Oh and I wanted Natasha to be badass but come on, she's 14, she can't be too tough. **_


	3. Chapter 3

Natasha looked up to meet Steve's eyes, he looked so honest and genuine that she wanted to believe him, she really did, but how could she? After all the men she's met, she learnt her lesson the hard way, don't trust them. She glanced over at the other two who were now standing by the mansions door, she knew if she tried to run Steve would chase her, she knew she didn't have a choice. Nodding slightly in response she placed her smaller hand in Steve's, his skin was rough and Natasha could tell he was one to get in fights, and judging by his size, win them.

"Do you think they're safe?" Natasha almost whispered, her words got tangled in the wind but Steve had been waiting for her to speak so he heard her. They both glanced up towards Bruce and Tony who were also talking quietly and looking down the street, they were keeping an eye out for the attackers to come back.

"I don't know." Steve replied, just as softly. He glanced down at the red head and watched as she nibbled her lips nervously. "I won't let them hurt you though, you can trust me Natasha." She clearly didn't believe him but she nodded in response.

The two started their walk towards the mansion, the building stood strong against the dark cloudy night, Natasha had never seen something so large so close before, nothing this grand anyway. She had often walked through this neighborhood whilst looking longingly into the houses with their warm lights and central heating as she stood in the rain, desperately searching for shelter.

"Look," Tony began as the pair reached him and Bruce, "my Dad's out of town for a month so don't worry about anyone coming back and seeing you. Why don't you just stay the night?" He was mainly looking at Natasha, there was something about that girl that made him want to look after her, she however looked away and avoided his gaze.

"If…if…if you don't mind Tony. I would…umm like to stay for…a night." Bruce stammered looking up at Tony with those big brown eyes and slightly bloody nose. Tony nodded and ruffled his hair again,

"Sure Brucie." Steve and Natasha had remained quiet and the genius understood why, "Look you two, decide later if you want but for now just come inside, it's going to rain." He was right of course, he sky was growing dark. Shadows were beginning to creep towards them as the wind whispered softly in their ears.

**LINE BREAK LINE BREAK **

Natasha ran her hand across the marble tabletop, it reflected her pale face and she let out a heavy sigh. Turning back around she saw Bruce staring at her; Tony and Steve had already gone into the living room muttering together.

"It's safe…h-h-here." The boy mumbled, he couldn't look Natasha in the eye but she didn't mind. In fact she preferred it that way.

"So do you know Tony? Are you related or something?" She asked quietly, not wanting to be heard by the two older boys. Bruce smiled a little but shook his head,

"No…no we're not. But, I…I…I know that he's a, a good person." Bruce somehow found the willpower inside himself to look into Natasha's green eyes, she blinked suddenly at his intense stare but nodded slowly.

"Ok, good to know. I'll keep that in mind." Just as she finished speaking Tony and Steve walked back into the room. Automatically Natasha turned to look at Steve who was already inching closer to her, she took a moment to really analyse him. He was a huge guy, muscly but not in a threatening way, his eyes seemed soft and he had an air about him that made you feel like you could talk to him about anything. Not that Natasha trusted him, she definitely didn't trust him…yet.

"So…are you guys hungry or anything?" Tony looked at each of the people who had somehow found ways into his house. Natasha opened her mouth to answer when they heard the sound of a door slam shut. She froze and looked towards Tony with wide eyes, immediately they could all tell that he was not expecting anyone. Natasha moved slightly over to Steve, he noticed and held out his hand. She looked at it and seemed to deliberate taking it but then hushed whispering was heard from the hallway and she grabbed it quickly.

Tony beckoned for them all to follow him, Steve pulled both Bruce and Natasha behind him before catching up with Tony. As the four of them entered the hallway they immediately spotted two figures, one massive –slightly larger than Steve- and the other shorter but still very muscled. Without thinking Tony shouted,

"And who the fuck are you two!" Steve glared at Tony but the genius didn't notice. The two guys in the hallway froze and turned to face the others. Bruce quickly flicked on the light switch and everyone gasped. The two newcomers were dirty and seemed rough, much like Steve, Natasha and Bruce. Tony already knew where this was heading…

"Umm, hi…I guess? We didn't realize people lived here. There were no lights on and no cars, I'm Clint and this is Thor." The smaller of the two spoke, he gestured to the other one who did a strange bowing gesturing, funnily enough it made Natasha laugh softly. Steve looked at her and smiled softly, Tony also had to bite back a grin.

"So what? Were you trying to rob me?" Tony asked but there was no venom in his words, he just sounded tired. Clint shook his head and opened his mouth but before he could Thor spoke,

"No we are not, we were just looking for a place to stay and your house seemed empty and the door was unlocked so we entered." His accent was strong and posh, again it made Natasha smile. Steve frowned a little at this.

"Well get the hell out." Tony said, he turned to go back into the kitchen but instead caught Bruce's eye, the younger boy was looking at him in shock.

"You're…you're kicking them out?" He said, surprised that Tony could be so cruel. Tony swore under his breath and thought quickly about all those empty rooms and lonely memories.

"Damn it! You can all stay all right! No-one else will be in the house for a month so you might as well all bloody stay!" He turned back around and charged into his living room, Bruce grinning at his feet. Steve and Natasha turned to face the new comers, they both smiled at Natasha and nodded at Steve. They were all assessing each other and trying to decide who was strongest etc. It wasn't until Natasha said,

"Come on, let's go find the other two." And they all followed her, did they realize that the one in charge did not necessarily have to be one of the guys.

_**I'm so sorry for the terrible quality but I needed to get all the characters in there. But, they're all together now! So, the next few chapters will be much, much better I promise! **_

_**So I was thinking, like a type of love triangle between Steve, Natasha and Thor. What do you think?**_


End file.
